Dante

If Dante had a sister, I imagine she’d be Bayonetta, the heroine from the recently formed studio Platinum Games. Watching her kill heavenly creatures with her swift moves and gunplay, it’s hard not to think of Devil May Cry’s lead protagonist.

Then again, the two characters do have a common bond. They’re created by the same man — Hideki Kamiya. The influence is clear from the inventory screen, right down to the over-the-top fighting.

If I could pinpoint one difference between Bayonetta, the lithe sexy witch, and Dante, the half-demon wiseacre, it would be that Bayonetta seems to have more a sillier sense of humor. While beating on foes with weapons she picks off the ground, she can teleport her hair and transform it into different shapes. (Think of Morrigan from Darkstalkers)

In one case, she molds her mane in the shape of her stilleto heal and teleports it above an enemy to stomp on him. A second later, she could be dropping a gravestone atop a destroyed foe and pose at the end.

Despite these exageratted moves, the action is still fast and quick. The demo I saw pitted Bayonetta against an army of heavenly creatures. The leader had some armor on and she was able to break it down before destroying the miniboss.

At first glance, the game seems conventional, almost following Dante’s path to a fault. But if I could, I’d put money on Kamiya to come up with something completely different when the final project ships in 2009.